Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
‘BEFORE BURNING CRACKERS LOOK AT US AND BE CONSIDERATE, SYMPATHETIC AND HUMANE’ URGES COVID RECOVERED PATIENTS
“DEEPAVALI DOES NOT MEAN BURNING CRACKERS FOR ENJOYMENT”- BISWAJIT MUKHERJEE
POLLUTION AND ATMOSPHERIC DUST IS A MAJOR MEDIATOR TO WEAKEN THE IMMUNE SYSTEM- PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST AND HEAD, CSIR-NEERI
WEBINAR ORGANISED ON COVID-19 PANDEMIC- PROTOCOLS, POLLUTION AND SOLUTIONS
Kolkata, 7th November, 2020
‘Before burning crackers just for enjoyment please look at us and be considerate, sympathetic and humane and please follow the honorable High Court’s ruling’ this ardent urge was made by Dr. Asis Kumar Nandi an Associate Professor of Vidysagar University, Medinipur and Hriya Banerjee an Asst. Professor in a private educational institution. None of the names are common to us but they have one thing in common, both of them have recovered from the dreaded disease Covid-19, the pandemic which has shaken the entire world. This appeal was meant to restrain people from burning firecrackers in the ensuing Deepavali festival so that the environmental pollution could be kept under control and Covid-19 infected people could be protected and saved from the respiratory distress associated with the pollution. Ms. Banerjee and Dr. Nandi were delivering their views in a Webinar on Covid-19 Pandemic- Protocols, Pollution and Solutions organized jointly by Field Outreach Bureau, Chuchura and Regional Outreach Bureau, Kolkata of Information & Broadcasting Ministry. Ms. Banerjee in her early thirties said “Though I recovered from Covid but my lungs and heart have been severely damaged and this may intensify few more times if the pollution is not kept under control”. Dr. Nandi also said that the post recovery period is very important as he still can’t return to normal life due to breathing problem.
Dr. Deepanjan Majumdar, Principal Scientist and Head, CSIR-NEERI, Kolkata Zonal Center said that each year more than 9 lakhs children are dying due to respiratory problem associated with the pollution and atmospheric dust play a role as a major mediator to weaken the immune system. He said SARS Cov-2 i.e Covid-19 induced pneumonia is damaging both the lungs and having a ground glass appearance, which is ultimately leading to severe respiratory distress and death too. He said fire cracker induced air pollution will increase such phenomena and urged the hospitals to increase readiness. Dr. Banerjee said talked about ‘green crackers’ which NEERI has developed.
Shri Biswajit Mukherjee, an eminent Environmental Activist and former Chief Law Officer of Dept. of Environment and West Bengal Pollution Control Board appreciated the court’s order and said “Deepavali does not mean one has to burn crackers for enjoyment” he expects that common people will be considerate and sympathetic and restrain themselves from participating in such activities. Shri Mukherjee said there should not be any compromise in this issue. He said whether there is Covid or not crackers need to be banned to control pollution. He said air is already polluted due to emission from automobile, construction work, demolition job, industrial waste and many other reasons which is leading to escalation in cancer, lung diseases and many other ailments, hence it is necessary to put a check on crackers and other fireworks.